Markovic: Opening of the Ibar Bridge will lead to serious consequences for the entire Balkans

Nikola Markovic, an associate at the Institute for International Politics and Economics, says that the opening of the main bridge on the Ibar between South and North Mitrovica is part of a comprehensive policy of pressure on the Serbs and that the act itself would be a precedent leading to very serious consequences for the entire Balkan Peninsula.

"This is part of the overall process, namely the policy of Kurti's government, which generally has the intention to pressure the Serbs with the aim of making them leave or disperse from the area of Kosovo and Metohija. When we talk specifically about the attempt to open the bridge, it would be a significant precedent and would lead to very serious consequences for the entire Balkan Peninsula. The flows of politics and history are always intertwined and relate to the entire region. In that context, we can also observe the events in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro, which have recently been experiencing serious terror," Markovic said to Kosovo Online.

According to him, attempts to open the bridge on the Ibar are part of a comprehensive action being carried out against the Serbian community in Kosovo.

"It's not just about the incursion into northern Kosovska Mitrovica; it is also about the construction of new police stations and the arrests of Serbs who are allegedly accused of war crimes," Markovic emphasized.

When asked whether the clear stance of the Quint members and the EU is sufficient for the Pristina administration to abandon the idea of opening the bridge on the Ibar, Markovic explained that Kurti is guided by an old Albanian proverb: "Sell yourself, but don't sell yourself completely so that no one wants to buy you."

"Albin Kurti's foreign and domestic policies have, in some segments, deviated from the official direction of NATO countries' policies. There is an Albanian proverb: 'Sell yourself, but don't sell yourself completely so that no one wants to buy you.' Kurti still shows loyalty to his patrons from NATO countries, but on the other hand, he pursues this Greater Albanian policy and strives for the Greater Albanian goal, which was established back in the 19th century, about creating Greater Albania. The timing of these events in Kosovo is very significant. These are certainly election times," Markovic concluded.